Splice-holding device for tire expanders



Dec. 4, 1928. 1,694,227

fr. MIDGLEY SPLICE HOLDING DEVICE FOR TIRE EKPANDERS Filed Aug. 6, 1926 x2 in L Y K ,1 Z6 3 a I v ZJ /7 I I 7- I .1. l6

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Patented I Dec. 4, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

mourns MIDGLEY, or namrn'nu, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR 'ro THE rxsxnunnnn COMPANY, OF CHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SETTS.

SPLICE-HOLDING DEVICE FOR TiCRE EXPANDERS.

Application filed August 6, 1926. Serial No. 127,496.

My invention relates to the expansion of pneumatic tire casings from flat form to the usual horse-shoe crosssectlon. In the operabodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar View in a dilferent operative position, showing certain parts of the machine broken away;

Fig. 3 is a partial top plan view of the machine; i

Fig. 4 is a showing the difliculty experienced in the use of prior devices; and v Fig. 5 is a similar view" showing the operation of my improved device.

The improved device will be described in connection with an expander which I have previously developed for this use, and which '18 described in my prior application, Serial No. 88,194, filed February 15, 1926. This prior device will not be described in detail,

but certain cf the parts will be discussed briefly, in order that a better understanding of the operation of my present invention may be had. The expander shown in my prior application comprises a fixed head which is connected to a neumatic cylinder 11 fastened upon the machine-base 12. The machine also has a movable head 13 secured to the upper end of a piston rod 14 having a piston, not shown in the present case, running in the pneumatic cylinder 11. Joining the fixed and the movable heads are springs 15 extendingbetween them in a plurality of superposed layers. As the heads are caused to approach each other, due to the action of the pneumatic cylinder and piston, the springs are caused to bow outwardly as shown in Fig. 2, and as is more fully described in my prior application above referred to. Surrounding these springs is preferably an elastic sheath 16 of vulcanized rubber. In order to strip the expanded tire from the machine,.a stripping ring or ledge 17 is provided, this being opdiagrammatic detail section.

erated by pneumatic cylinders 18in a manner fully described in my prior case.

To a. machine, such as is described above, and which is disclosed with much more detail in my prior application, my invention may be applied as follows: A rubber block 19, preferably made of a yieldingand flexible composition, is secured upon a support 20 running in Ways 21 upon a bracket 22. This bracket is supported upon a. shelf 23 at one side of the expander'so that the block 19 is in position to be engaged by the tire when the latter is expanded. position of Fig. 1 to that of Fig.2 its center A is lowered on account of the fact that head able so that at the time the tire engages with it,

which is preferably slightly before the maximum expansion has taken" place, the tire and.

the block may have a slight downward movement together. To this end the slide 20 upon which the rubber blockis mounted is held atits uppermost position on ways 21 by a spring 24, held at its upper end by a pin 25 on the ,bracket 22, and at its'lower end by a pin 26 its the tire is expanded from the 1 on the support'20. As the tire contacts with the block 19, as shown in Fig. 2, the block can 1 yield slightly downwardly due to the action of the spring 24; a slight outward yielding of the block is made possiblo by-the elastic nature of this material.

Inoperation, theafiat band tire a tread 28 applied thereto is placed upon. the shelf 17 as shown in Fig. 1. Air is admitted to the pneumatic cylinder 11 in order to cause the heads 13 andlO to approach each other and by their approach to cause the spring 15 to be bowed outwardly. This forces the tire into the tire form shown in Fig. 2. The tire is positioned initially so that splice 29' comes at the point where it will contact with the rubber block 19. In Fig. 5 the end of this block is clearly shown in which it appears that the splice 29 is pinched between block 19 and the body of the tire 27. By this means the tight adhesion of the surfaces forming the splice is assured. V

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An apparatus for expanding a tire fro the flat into tire form comprising means for the flat into tire form comprising means for applying ashaping force to a tire, and means applying a shaping force to a tire, and a mem- 10 for resisting the shaping force at the outer ber yieldable both radially and laterally of circumference of the tire to exert a holding the tire against which the tire is pressed by 5 pressure upon the splice of the tire tread while the shaping means to hold the splicepf the leaving the sidewalls of the tire unconfined tire tread in position. for readjustment to shaped condition.

2. An apparatus for expanding a tire from THOMAS MIDGLEY. 

